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Is Bastian Schweinsteiger the right man to marshal Man United's midfield?

Is Bastian Schweinsteiger the right man to marshal Man United's midfield?

Germany captain and Bayern Munich legend Bastian Schweinsteiger joins Manchester United in a celebrated coup for the rebuilding Red Devils, but the 30-year-old is coming off an injury-plagued season with questions hanging over his head. Considering his age and the expected diminishing returns, one cannot help but wonder if Schweinsteiger is the right man to marshal the midfield at Old Trafford.

Schweinsteiger may not be young, but he's not exactly in a wheelchair. His experience winning the Champions League, Bundesliga, German Cup, Club World Cup and FIFA World Cup helps balance the obvious downward trajectory of his time on the pitch. At Bayern Munich, Schweinsteiger appeared surplus to Pep Guardiola's requirements, confirmed by the fact that Bayern jumped out to an unbeaten record from August to November while the World Cup winner sat and watched injured from the sidelines.

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If healthy, Schweinsteiger can still be an asset to any team, but the injury concerns are fully founded. A series of ankle and knee ailments in recent seasons do not promise a lengthy career in a sport that is so severely taxing. Add in the physical nature of the Premier League, the lack of holiday break and the extra matches in the English season, and a healthy Schweinsteiger for the duration of the upcoming season would seem a risky proposition.

When acquiring a highly decorated World Cup winner, of course, the move is not entirely negative – far from it, actually. On the pitch, Schweinsteiger is rarely caught out of position and is known for making timely tackles, hitting intelligent passes and offering a powerful shot from distance. Perhaps most importantly, he provides leadership and grit that does not necessarily show in statistical charts. He emits an aura of winning when on the pitch.

Few understand his impact more than Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, who coached Schweinsteiger and Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title, German Cup and the Champions League final in 2010. Van Gaal, along with Jupp Heynckes, is largely credited with moving Schweinsteiger into the defensive midfielder position that the player will be most identified with when he eventually hangs up his boots. Previously, the Bayern Munich youth product primarily featured as a left midfielder and a winger, and he actually broke into Bayern’s first team as a left back.

Van Gaal's intimate history with Schweinsteiger plays a vital role into why the player moving to Manchester United makes sense. United desperately needs an experienced player to protect the defense and control the middle of the park, and Van Gaal needs players he can trust. Michael Carrick still theoretically fits that role for United, but the 33-year-old has been hobbled with injuries of his own. So Schweinsteiger effectively comes in as a younger and more accomplished version of Carrick.

Daley Blind, who only joined United a season ago, demonstrated that he is not quite ready to assume the responsibility of the holding midfielder role. By the end of last season, he featured more as a left back than a deep midfielder. As one reflects on Blind and Carrick, one cannot help but think that United signing Schweinsteiger makes more and more sense.

Keeping Schweinsteiger healthy is vital, but everything considered, he improves Manchester United and provides Van Gaal a general he can trust in battle.

Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports helping covering the beautiful game globally. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA and @perfectpass